§ LORD CARLINGFORDcalled the attention of the noble Duke the Lord President of the Council to the provisions of the Irish Church Act under which certain ecclesiastical buildings in Ireland might be handed over to the Board of Works in that country, to be preserved as national monuments, and asked, Whether the Government intends to appoint a competent person in connection with the Board of Works in Ireland to take charge of those ecclesiastical buildings which have been or may be handed over to that Board by the Irish Church Commissioners as national monuments, to see that the duty of keeping them in a proper state of repair was satisfactorily performed? A considerable number of these buildings had already been handed over to the Board of Works by the Commissioners, and he hoped that many more would be handed over, because the list which had been published in the Papers did not by any means include all the ancient ecclesiastical buildings, monuments, and ruins in Ireland. The question was one in which a great many people in Ireland took a deep interest, and an impression pre- 1396 vailed among them that the Board of Works was scarcely competent with its present staff to maintain in proper condition those venerable buildings. Indeed, they could scarcely be dealt with satisfactorily unless some skilled person with archaeological tastes and knowledge were appointed to look after them.
§ EARL BEAUCHAMPsaid, that the buildings in question were in ruins, and the 25th section of the Irish Church Act applied to them. It seemed to him that they were not to be restored or repaired, but preserved, and the duty of preserving these ruins did not require a largo amount of architectural skill. He thought that it would be best that they should not be restored, but simply preserved in their integrity; and that duty of preservation could be discharged by a surveyor better than by a person who was possessed of architectural taste. If, however, anything in the nature of archæology should arise, rendering it necessary to call in the assistance of any person, the Board of Works would seek the best advice that could be obtained.
§ LORD CARLINGFORDsaid, he wished to avoid the appointment of an architect, preferring an archaeologist, who would give sound advice in this matter.